Preparing for a career in Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

1. Decide where you will earn your degree.

At the University of Oklahoma you will:

Meet exciting people from all over the United States and the world.

ArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMinnesotaMississippiMissouri

New JerseyNew Mexico

New YorkNorth Carolina

OklahomaPennsylvania

South CarolinaTennessee

TexasVirginia

WashingtonWisconsin

Mexico South Korea

This fall, the College of A&GS is home to undergraduate students from the following states and countries:

Attend classes in state-of-the-art facilities….

National Weather Center

Sarkeys Energy Center

…on one of the most beautiful campuses in the US!

Participate in cutting-edge research in geography, geoinformatics and meteorology with internationally recognized experts in atmospheric and geographic sciences.

Have access to excellent academic resources

Assessment and Learning Center Provides academic assistance UC Action tutoring, computer software tutorials, Student

Success seminars, resource materials, and learning consultations.

Academic Advising:University College Freshman yearFaculty advisor sophomore-senior

Semester advising (mandatory)Career counselingInternship recommendations

Professional Advisor in A&GS Dean’s OfficeDegree ChecksAcademic Problems

Meteorology Help Desk NWC LibraryWriting Center

Attend professional conferences in your area of study.

Geography majors at the annual American Association of Geographers (AAG) conference.

Meteorology majors at the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS)

annual conference.

See the world through OU’s Education Abroad Program.

OU has credit agreements with schools in over 70 countries.

Over 70% of OU students who landed a job right after graduation had completed an internship as an undergraduate.

Complete an Internship in your area of study.

Earn a degree that will take you wherever you want to go!

The bachelor of arts degrees in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences emphasize the social applications of the discipline.

Students pursuing a bachelor of arts will acquire knowledge and skills in foreign language (four semesters are required), statistics, and social understanding, including policy making and decision sciences.

Students with a bachelor of arts are competitive for government positions (especially US Census Bureau, CDC and state health departments, state departments of commerce, city planning, etc.), social science research centers on population and human environments, or service-based companies that provide spatial analysis and mapping services for marketing, newspaper, navigation and routing.  

2. Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science?

The bachelor of science degrees in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences emphasize the science and engineering sides of the discipline.

Students pursuing a bachelor of science degree will acquire knowledge and skills in math, physics, and computation for jobs towards science and technology developments in federal government (especially DoD, NOAA, USGS, EPA, etc.), physical or environmental research laboratories, or high-tech companies.

3. Choose your major.

The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences (A&GS) is one of 12 degree-granting colleges on the OU campus.

With fewer than 300 undergraduate students, the College of A&GS provides a small college experience at a major university.

A&GS offers undergraduate degree programs in the following areas:

http://ags.ou.edu/

Geographic Information Science (GIS)http://geoinformatics.ou.edu/

Bachelor of Arts in Geographic Information ScienceBachelor of Science in Geographic Information Science

Dr. May Yuan, Director (myuan@ou.edu)

Center for Spatial Analysis

http://csa.ou.edu

Advancing Geographic Information Science and

Technology

What is Geoinformatics?Geoinformatics (or Geographic Information Science) centers on the

understanding and use of geospatial information, i.e., "of or relating to the relative position of things on the earth's surface."

GIS develops spatially integrated methods to address issues related to physical, biological, environmental, and social processes.

The benefits of Geoinformatics education and research extend across the geo-science, environmental, biological, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as engineering, because the spatial dimensions of natural and built environments, plus social interactions, are of paramount importance for understanding classic questions about the natural world and the human environment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdQjc30YPOk&p=7337106B3135EB4A&playnext=1&index=10

Where is GIS used?Everywhere!

ArchaeologyUrban PlanningCriminologyMarketingDemographic StudiesInfrastructure Assessment and Development Resource Management Earth-based scientific investigationsEmergency Management andWeather Applications, to name just a few areas.

For example….

GeoHealthIntegrating geospatial

technology with disease ecology

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1

Satellite telemetry of wild birds - Wild bird migration and H5N1

disease spread

Satellite-based mapping of agricultural land use - Paddy rice, free grazing ducks, and H5N1 transmission

GIS and Site Analysis

GIS and Spatial Analysis: Epidemiology of Schistomiasis (infectious parasites)

and Water Management

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Geography http://geography.ou.edu/

Bachelor of Arts in GeographyBachelor of Science in GeographyBachelor of Arts in Environmental Sustainability NEW Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sustainability NEW

Dr. Aondover Tarhule, Chair atarhule@ou.edu

Geography is a big-picture discipline.

Geographers integrate knowledge of culture, society and the economy with an

understanding of the earth's physical system and biosphere in order to provide

a holistic perspective on human-environment relationships.

The geographic perspective is vital to understanding and addressing many critical problems including global warming, environmental change, global and local conflicts, sustainable development, and maintaining indigenous cultures in a globalizing world.

Geography is an ideal major for those who wish to use knowledge of society and the environment to make the world of the future a better place.

Effects of land-use change on watershed & ecosystem processes

Urban (1%)

Agriculture (47%)

Forest (31%)

Barren/Mining (<1%)

Wetland (5%)

Water (<1%)

Grassland (15%)

5 km

Baraboo River watershed, WI

Current study areas: • Southern Plains (OK, TX, NM, KS, CO, AR)• New Zealand (national assessment)

Issues addressed:• Water resources• Water quality• Sediment transport• Vegetation & Primary productivity• Environmental sustainability

OWPI INITIATIVES AND GOALS:

• Resource Assessment • Policy Analysis and

SocioEconomic Research• Outreach

– Educational programs– Political Leadership

• PROMOTE & ATTRACT:– RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Research questions:What is the effect of large scale institutional changes on the land surface? What is the influence of war, conflict and institutional change? What is the interaction with climate and climate change?

Scale: people to pixel. Local to continental.

Regional focus: Africa, Central Asia, Russia

Vegetation Trends in Eurasia: 2000 - 2009

Kirsten de BeursGeographykdebeurs@ou.edu

Growing season changes in Africa food security

War or Drought? Changes observed in Afghanistan

Effect of ethnicity, Russia Land abandonment, Russia

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Construction Phase:• 64,450 new jobs• $5.43 B to local

economiesOperational Phase:• 8,834 local jobs• $778.6 M/yr to local

economies

Wind energy’s economic “ripple effect”

Total economic benefit = $44.6 B

New local jobs during construction = 134,310

New local long-term jobs = 18,774

Indirect & Induced Impacts

Totals (construction + 20yrs)

Wind Energy Crystal Ball Oklahoma – Economic Impacts

From the DoE 20% Plan 38,484 MW new development

Direct Impacts

Payments to Landowners: • $102.6 million/year Local Property Tax Revenue:• $247.6 million/yearConstruction Phase:• 69,860 new jobs• $7.26 B to local economiesOperational Phase:• 9,940 new long-term jobs• $817 M/yr to local economies

The Department of Geography is committed to training individuals who have an improved awareness of environmental issues and also the theoretical and technical skills necessary for professional success in areas like…

Environmental Impact AnalystEnvironmental Quality SpecialistHydrologistPark RangerWind Energy Resource SpecialistLand DeveloperPublic Utilities Specialist

Soil ConservationistLand-Use EconomistCoastal Zone ManagerTraffic ManagerCartographerCommunity DeveloperHazardous Waste PlannerAir/Water Quality Control Manager

To name just a few!

Meteorology http://som.ou.edu/Bachelor of Science in Meteorology

Dr. David Parsons, Director dparsons@ou.edu

Ms. Celia Jones, Coordinator Academic Student Services cjones@ou.edu

Meteorology http://som.ou.edu/Bachelor of Science in Meteorology

Meteorologists employment options include:

Forecasters in government, military and private sector The transportation sector including aviation and shippingAir quality applicationsBasic and applied researchTechnology and development (instrumentation and modeling)Information ServicesForensic ServicesBroadcast MeteorologyBusiness (e.g., marketing, energy, markets, etc) Teaching

Starting salaries from $20,000-25,000 and upward. Median annual salary of $81,290 with wide variation.

Employment outlook: Growing “faster than average” with “keen competition”

The School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma is the largest program in the nation, with more than 280 undergraduate and 110 graduate students.

Teaching: Ten of the School’s faculty have won university-wide awards that include the criteria of teaching excellence.

National Leadership: Twelve of the School’s faculty are Fellows of the American Meteorological Society, an award that is extended to two-tenths of one percent of its members each year.

Research: The research expenditures of the School last year were $ 8.45 Million. The School is consistently ranked in the top ten atmospheric science departments in the country for research. We are at/near the top in the nation in our areas of focus (e.g., radar, mesoscale and severe storm research).

Students: The School has more American Meteorological Society Industry Graduate Fellowship students than any program in the nation (52 since 1992)

Unique aspects

The school also offers the nation's only true interdisciplinary weather radar educational program between meteorology and engineering.

Exceptional level of student involvement through student organizations (OWL, HOOT, SCAMS, SAC) and student run mentoring and (free) tutoring.

The excellent facilities of the NWC including laboratory spaces, classrooms and lecture halls.

The opportunities afforded by co-location with OU Programs led by the School’s faculty and with NOAA and the private sector. These programs benefit students through internships and through bringing world and national renowned researchers into the classroom.

Finally, note that about 1/3 of undergraduates go on to graduate school and about 2/3 of our students minor in mathematics.

University programs include:

Atmospheric Radar Research Center (ARRC)Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS)Center for Spatial Analysis (CSA)Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS)Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS)International Center for Natural Hazards and Disaster Research

NOAA organizations include:

National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)National Weather Service Forecast Office

NEXRAD Radar Operations CenterStorm Prediction Center

Warning Decision Training Branch

METEOROLOGY EXCHANGE PROGRAM

U niversity o f R ead ing , U KU niversity o f O k lahom a, U SA

Meteorology exchange programs also offered at Monash University (Australia) and Hamburg University (Germany).

Taken during the junior year of the program (one semester or two).

Courses equate to junior-year requirements in meteorology; no delay in completion of degree.

Stormchasing

•Not part of the curriculum in meteorology at OU.•No degree is required to chase a storm.•Primarily recreational or to take pictures of a storm.•Not scientific, except for those who are funded by a university or government grant.•No pay for chasing storms, with the exception of a few TV media crews, some photographers, and a few graduate meteorology students and professors (Vortex project).•Some storm videos and “Storm Tours” are sold, but financial returns on these are small, considering the time and expense these take to produce.

4. Apply for admission to the University of Oklahoma.

To start the admission process, go to Go2.ou.edu, where you will find out how and when to file your application to OU, as well as important information on academics, housing, financial matters and scheduling campus tours.

5. Prepare for success in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

If you are planning to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree through A&GS, take as many Math courses as you can, especially in algebra and calculus. All BS degree candidates must complete Calculus I-IV.

If your high school offers them, take Physics courses as well as courses in Computer Science (in particular, programming). BS degree candidates must also complete two courses in Physics, one course in Chemistry, and one course in computer programming.

Take as many AP classes in as many subjects as possible; take the AP tests at the end of these courses to earn college credit.

Make sure you complete at least two years of the same foreign language, which is required for A&GS Bachelor of Science degrees, and provides a good foundation for the bachelor of arts degrees (which require four college-level courses in a foreign language).

Prepare for and take the ACT, SAT, and PSAT exams. Retake these tests if your initial scores were low.

Increase your study time; you will need to study at least 20 hours per week at OU to maintain good grades.

Check out the "ACADEMICS" section of our web site at ags.ou.edu to find out about how OU is structured academically and the specific requirements needed to earn your degree.

Please note that in order to finish a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology in four years, you will need to have MATH 2443 (Calculus IV) successfully completed by the end of your sophomore year in the program. A grade of C or better is required in each calculus course before you can proceed to the next level.

Read the OU catalog at catalog.ou.edu We strongly recommend the following sections:

General InformationHow to Apply to OU The OU Difference Admission, Enrollment and Financial Aid Services University College, and The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

You are responsible for understanding what your degree requirements are and for familiarizing yourself with the OU General Catalog.

6. Plan your next four years at OU

Degree requirement checksheets (checksheets.ou.edu) include a recommended completion schedule.

Note course pre-requisites and course availability.

Do not hesitate to contact the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences Student Services Center at (405) 325-3101 if you have ANY questions. Our office is here to assist you.